inquisitiveness
Americannoun
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the quality of being given to asking questions; intellectual curiosity or eagerness for knowledge.
Younger students often have an amazing sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness that naturally leads them into exploring and learning.
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the quality of being excessively or inappropriately curious about other people’s affairs; nosiness.
My landlord's inquisitiveness made me determined to seek more desirable accommodations elsewhere.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inquisitiveness
Vocabulary lists containing inquisitiveness
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Of course she winds up paying for her inquisitiveness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
But she voices this with an inquisitiveness instead of sorrow.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2025
The BTP's review found that while no act or omission in the investigation was made maliciously, there was a "lack of professional inquisitiveness exacerbated by dilatory and lazy practices".
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2023
I now bear a visual reminder of one creature that sparked my wonder of the natural world, and of those people I cherish because of their inquisitiveness, their science knowledge, integrity and their friendship.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
‘If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
